Star Wars : Mel'Anctha Omorose
by Justin C Posada
Summary: Mel'Anctha Omorose is a Jedi Shadow tasked with sabotaging the newly resurgent Sith Empire. Her story takes place in the time of the upcoming and highly anticipated "The Old Republic" online videogame.


AN INTRODUCTION

"_Our time has come. For three hundred years, we prepared. We grew stronger… while you rested in your cradle of power, believing your people were safe and protected. You were trusted to lead the Republic… but you were deceived, as our powers of the dark side have blinded you. You assumed no force could challenge you… and now … finally, we have returned. …You were deceived. And now your Republic …shall fall."_

_-Darth Malgus  
_

"Following the Jedi Civil War, three-hundred years ago, the Council took it upon themselves to see that all remaining traces of the Sith were properly dealt with. Times were dire. The Republic was war torn and had undergone dramatic changes. The death toll, was catastrophic. Many Jedi aided in rebuilding and seeing to those that were in need. As such, not many Jedi could be spared to ensure that the Sith did not resurface from the scraps they left behind. This was the catalyst for the birth of a new breed of Jedi. The Shadow. A handful of Jedi that vowed to root out any Sith activity in known space via intelligence, counter intelligence, espionage, and assassination.

The birth of the Shadow was widely regarded as a dangerous addition to the Jedi Order. For the Shadow had to become familiar with the dark side; had to be able to sense it and track it. Had to be able to gain its trust, delve into what it had to offer, and come out unchanged. Unturned. Killing was not beneath the Shadow. Killing was one of the Shadow's specialties. They were the unseen hand of the Republic, quelling any dark side activity that could potentially harm the Republic, further.

Many Shadows were lost. Slain or worse: consumed by the darkness they were hunting. Many of those that survived through the aftermath of the Jedi Civil War were constantly reminded of the dark side, plagued with inner demons, guilt, fear, and bloodlust. Haunting shades from a profession that had taken its toll on them. Many became exiles, taking it upon themselves to sever all ties with Republic society for its own safety.

I am one such Shadow. My name is Mel'Anctha Omorose… and I have seen unspeakable things. My past ties to the dark side tell me that it is stirring. The Sith… have returned."

SCENE ONE

I could feel them approaching before I heard their footsteps. This was my place of exile: a collapsed edifice on the abandoned world of Langoria, a cemetery of scattered ruins overrun by the encroaching wilds. Their presence stuck out like a sore thumb, here. In part, because Langoria had seen no humanoid species since the extinction of its people, thousands of years ago. That's why I chose it in the first place.

"Mel'Anctha?," echoed the voice of someone familiar from base level. "Mel'Anctha Omorose?"

I sat perched like a gargoyle in the dark of the second tier, staring down at them; a group of three Jedi. I knew the one that had spoken.

"… I know about the Sith," I said, my voice echoing through the destroyed structure. I watched as their eyes bounded the darkness, in search of me. "…About the sacking of Coruscant."

"Yes," he spoke again, stepping forward. "They coaxed us into signing a treaty on Alderaan that would end the war. Our representatives convened for the signing, but while we were away…" He trailed off, no doubt finding the words hard to say. So I finished for him…

"…While you were away, the Sith took Coruscant from under your noses. True to their code. You should have expected such treachery," I said.

"The treaty was not something we could ignore," he said, finally spotting me on the second tier. "The Republic has been sent reeling from this war. We can't fight like this anymore! We saw the treaty as a means to protect our people, if only for some time. We were wary of ulterior motives, but we had little choice…"

Faced with my former Master, I took a swan dive to the floor below, landing gently on my feet with the aid of the Force. I stood before the trio silently before brushing back my hood.

"…Desperation," I said, nearing him until I was inches from his face so that I could delve into his eyes. "…Fear gripped you. Thousands of years of preaching against it and the lot of you gave in?"

"We did not give into fear. We gave into the idea that lives could be spared," he muttered, returning my prying stare. "…Regardless the senate representatives were forcefully made to sign… with a promise from the Sith that if they did not, more would die. …We couldn't afford to test such an accusation. All Jedi and Republic soldiers are to cease open conflict with the Empire… and outlying planets are to be handed over."

I turned my back on them swiftly, crossing my arms. Their intentions for being here were clear without even being voiced.

"…Fear, nonetheless…," I added under my breath. I looked over my shoulder at him. Oh, how this war had aged him. "I already know what you want, Dagmoro…"

He heaved a heavy sigh. The look he gave me next was of compassion and a longing for the days when I had been his young Padawan learner. "…What's left of the Council sent us to procure you, my apprentice. You are to have a meeting with them on Tython."

Tython: the planet from which the Jedi first spawned. It seemed that in the wake of the attack on Coruscant and the thousands of Jedi lives that had been lost, the remaining Jedi withdrew from their temple in the heart of the Republic capital to do some soul searching.

"I left the Republic for a reason," I said, turning about to face him fully once more. "They don't call this exile for nothing. Being here on this forsaken mess of a planet is for their own safety, and they know it."

"Trust me, they are aware. Your reaction to such a request was foreseen. …But your people need you, Mel. The Jedi can not risk taking up arms. …But a Shadow… the Sith would not suspect it. Their entire Empire could implode… it could be taken out piece by piece from beneath their feet and they wouldn't know what hit them."

It was Dagmoro that first called me Mel during my youngling years in the Temple. From then on, it stuck. I hadn't heard that name for the past eight years. Suddenly, my softness had shown through. I could feel the rims of my eyes dampening, but before any tears were shed I acknowledged my former Master with a shaking of my head.

"I can't," I said. "I won't. It's too dangerous. It was your representatives that signed it… it should be your representatives that deal with it. …Perhaps in another life, old friend…"

I began to walk away from them, allowing my cloak to trail behind me until I was nearly concealed in the dark once more. But before I became invisible to them, Dagmoro said something that stopped me dead in my tracks…

"…Ium has already accepted the invitation. He is on Tython as we speak."

He was referring to Ium Somn. A fellow Jedi Shadow and a Sith holocron hunter that I had thought was slain. A friend from a less complicated past.

I stared blankly at the path before me that led deeper into the dark underbelly of the building, recalling the last time I'd seen or heard from him.

SCENE TWO

Ium and I were close growing up. When we were initiated into the Shadows, we knew that, much to our dismay, we would likely never see each other again. For Shadows always worked alone. Our missions took us to separate ends of the galaxy. We were among the best, always hearing of each other's exploits and hoping that our next mission would bring us closer together. I think that's one of the few things that kept us sane; the inevitability of meeting halfway, somewhere, someday. And we did.

It was five years ago. Ium had been in the midst of hunting down a Sith holocron he had sensed in the Outer Rim on the planet Binaros. But the holocron was a decoy.

At the time, Jedi Shadows infiltrating Sith cultist ranks were notorious for being discovered… and being turned. One such Shadow, Master Sofrin Plevon, an acquaintance of Ium's and fellow holocron hunter, had joined up with a local cult and became an actively contributing member. Consumed by the Dark side, he pledged to use his knowledge on holocron hunting to weed out Shadows in the same line of work he once thrived in. Ium fell prey to this tactic and played right into Plevon's hands.

While still orbiting Binaros, Ium's vessel was surrounded by cultist ships led by Plevon himself. Outnumbered and outgunned, Ium did his best to hold them off before setting off a distress beacon. A Republic medical freighter in the area answered the call. I happened to be on board tending to wounds from a previous mission. Fate certainly had a sense of humor.

Having sensed Ium's presence, I scurried to the docking bay to retrieve my ship and joined the fight. I tried my best to cover him until the freighter mopped up… but my ship was hit and I went spiraling down to Binaros. I remember seeing Ium's ship being blasted into oblivion through my cockpit window as I spun out of control and left a trail of smoke behind me. I had failed my fellow JedI and best friend… and suddenly, falling to my death didn't sound so bad.

I awoke back on the medical freighter and was told I had been unconscious for a day as a result of my ship's oxygen line being damaged in the attack. Apparently, I had been safely caught in the freighter's tractor beam before entering Binaros' atmosphere. Ium's ship had not been so lucky.

"…How?," I said, heading briskly for Dagmoro yet again. "Ium shouldn't be alive. I watched him die four years ago in the Outer Rim."

"Did you, in fact, see him die?," he asked. His two JedI escorts began to get antsy. Their thoughts were so loud I could scarcely focus on Dagmoro's question.

"Yes!," I exclaimed. But had I? technically speaking, all I saw was Ium's ship getting shot down before passing out. Could he really have survived a freefall into Binaros? "…Well… no. I suppose I didn't."

Dagmoro smirked from behind his bear and urged me to walk in stride with him as he put his hand against my back. The whole thing brought on a rush of nostalgia. His familiar guiding hand; something I truly did miss.

"I think you'll find that Ium is wonderful at telling the story. It's quite an elaborate one. Your friend, it seems, is the luckiest fellow alive," he said.

…The luckiest fellow alive. Alive. Ium had lived. The sudden realization of what that meant changed my outlook on Dagmoro's initial offer.

"I'll go to Tython," I said. "I'll meet you on your ship. …And tell your escorts to control their thoughts lest my hiding place becomes littered with curious Sith."

Dagmoro shot me a warm smile. One that I couldn't help but return before marching away to gather some things.

SCENE THREE

Tython. To simply take a walk through the place was a marvelous venture. It's landscapes were lush and alive. It came as no surprise that the JedI originated from here: it was a grand portrayal of everything we strived for and believed in. The vividness and harmony of life. I could see us spawning from no lesser place.

But despite the beauty, I was conflicted. I was no ordinary JedI. I found it difficult to claim that I was one in the wake of coming here. Because saying that I was meant that I was reflected in Tython… and that couldn't have been further from the truth. Becoming a Shadow often meant putting some of your teachings aside to do what was necessary. To sacrifice what you've learned and embrace a bit of controlled darkness to vanquish the greater evil. By that logic, my sister planet would have been some place cold, empty, and void of color. Some place like Antazi or Hoth.

My chain of thought was broken as Dagmoro, in his bright sterile white cloak, passed me so that he might be the first to greet the guards of the newfound JedI temple. They were Republic troopers, still in their standard issue armor. One of them was a Lieutenant. I could tell by the olive-green detailing his armor had. The other, without markings of any sort, was obviously a Private. With no war to fight, they must have figured that protecting the JedI was the best thing they could do.

"Hail, Master Jedi," said the Lieutenant.

"Good to see you at your post again, Lieutenant Jupos," said Dagmoro as the two of them exchanged a shaking of hands. I got the impression that they'd seen some action together during the years of my exile. Seven years is a long time to be gone.

"Nothing to worry about, sir. My leg's fully reconstructed and I'm ready to serve," said Jupos. "Although, I will say, I'll be more mindful of the wildlife here when I make my rounds, next."

Dagmoro chuckled, as did the two JedI escorts that I'd forgotten were with us. It was easy to forget them without their constant fretting. Uneasiness was something I could always pick up on. Not quite empathy, because it only happened when someone was panicking or agitated. A gift from the Force, I guess you could say. But I often called it a curse as it was very distracting at times. The galaxy was filled with worried people.

"You're a brave and dedicated man, Jupos. We're happy to have you back," started Dagmoro.

Lieutenant Jupos and the unnamed Private gave as formal salutes before allowing us to enter.

The JedI Temple constructed here was significantly smaller than the one on Coruscant, as I expected. Much of it was still under construction, but the important pieces seemed to be intact.

Dagmoro held the door open for me as I slowly crept up the small flight of steps to enter the main hall that eventually spat out into a round corridor further in. Light from Tython's sun poured into that very corridor, illuminating a ring of seats that I immediately recognized as those of the JedI Council. Strange to think that the Council chamber was the heart of this temple, whereas on Coruscant, it was located in a spire above the main ziggurat.

"Well, this new temple is certainly straight to the point," I said, glancing over my shoulder at Dagmoro who nonchalantly joined me at my left side. We began walking side by side as the escorts dispersed to deal with personal business. I was glad to be rid of them.

"Yes," he replied with a smile, "But surely you can not expect what few of us there are left to rebuild something that took us ages to achieve? What you see completed are the necessities. The Council chamber and meditation rooms were among the first to be constructed, followed soon thereafter by the athenaeum. I hear spires like the ones on Coruscant are in the works, but I'm not certain."

As we neared the central corridor, I discovered that the Council was not present; the sun shone on empty seats.

"Out and about," he continued, referring to the Council, of course. He'd read the disappointed expression on my face. "They will send for you later, no doubt. But first, to Ium."

"Where is he?," I asked almost too abruptly. I needed answers. …And to see his face for myself.

"Come," he said. And I followed. We rounded the Council corridor and went up another small flight of steps that emptied us into a mezzanine overlooking the Council seats. A balcony-like hallway for Council meetings that required an audience or the voicing of opinions from fellow JedI, no doubt. The mezzanine circled the room below, but also branched out in other directions and other halls, one of which Dagmoro led me to.

Then, suddenly, I sensed him. He was close. Where once Dagmoro had been leading, I had taken over, leaving my former Master behind as I briskly traveled down to the end of the hall and stopped dead in my tracks before an unopened door. Beyond which was my friend, back from the dead. I had hurried to this door, and for what? Only to hesitate? Dagmoro had caught up and patted me on the shoulder with an amused expression. What was I going to say? How would I react?

"Take it as it comes," whispered Dagmoro. Sound advice. I was thankful that he didn't have my ability to sense uneasiness. Otherwise, he'd be ears deep in an onslaught of jumbled thoughts.

Before I knew it, the door slid open, and Dagmoro was stepping in, verbally greeting someone on the other end. I froze up, and remained in the hall for a moment… until I heard his voice.

Take it as it comes. This was me taking it as it comes.

I stepped in, and I could swear that my jaw hit the floor when I saw him standing there with Dagmoro, plain as day, in his typical dark brown tunic. There were two things new about him. The first, his goatee. The second, the hint of his cheek welting up from where I slapped him when I walked in…

Oh yes. I slapped him. Hard. And proceeded to cry into his chest and pummel his shoulder. He had to hold me up or I would have fallen to the ground.

"… About time you showed up, Mel," he said, paying no heed to the fact that I'd just assaulted him. In fact, I read a snicker somewhere in there. "You changed your hair… again," he continued. "…What, you think you're the Queen of Naboo, or something?"

A joke. He was joking? Four years of thinking he was dead and he greeted me with a joke? Well I suppose it was better than my greeting…

I felt his chest expand with laughter and I couldn't help but laugh, myself. It was a strange mix of laughing and crying, to be more precise.

"…I thought you were dead," I said through a heavy sob-giggle. "…Binaros… the Outer Rim."

"I know," he said, mussing my hair with his hand, just like he used to. "It was a close call, that's for sure."

I looked up at him, my eyes pink and tear-stained.

"…I want to hear everything," I said.

SCENE FOUR

Dagmoro had mentioned that Ium might have possibly been the luckiest man alive. As Ium told me his story, I began to see why.

"I was shot down. You weren't seeing things. I lost all control of the ship and headed straight down to Binaros," he said.

I was seated on the edge of the bed at the center of the room with my legs crossed, whilst Dagmoro lingered in the doorway with his hands nestled into his baggy sleeves.

"The med ship probably figured that you were the priority as it was you that was shot down first. I'm glad that they caught your ship, otherwise we might not be having this conversation right now," he said.

"I resent that," I replied with a smirk, "We both know I'm pretty lucky and I could have just as easily made it out alive." I was kidding myself, of course. Ium laughed under his breath and then shook his head. "Alright, so what makes your great escape so spectacular? What happened during the descent?"

"I still had minimal control of the ship as I fell through the atmosphere and was able to slow myself down, substantially. Binaros is a heavily aquatic planet with a few sporadic landmasses along the equator… most of which are dense tropical forests. If I'd have landed in any of the seas, I would have died on impact. …But, thankfully, that wasn't the case."

I felt my left eyebrow perk up out of curiosity.

"…You mean to tell me that landing on the ground was better? I don't follow…," I said.

"Yes, as a matter of fact," he said, "You ever hear of the carnivorous plants of Binaros? Big, potentially man-eating plants anywhere from two to three meters big? We're talking tentacles that snatch up its prey from four to five meters away if it had to!"

I had heard of the Binarian plants Ium mentioned, but a long time ago in my schooling days at the Coruscant Temple. I'd forgotten, however, how large they were. So I indulged him with a nodding of my head.

"I was headed nose-first into one of the forests, when suddenly…" He trailed off only moments before whipping his arms up towards the ceiling and making a dramatic showing of the events that transpired. "Dozens of tentacles flung at me from the trees and roped me in!"

He seemed rather excited. I, on the other hand, was dumbfounded.

"…Tentacles…," I said, staring at him blankly at a loss for words.

"Yes. Tentacles! From the plants!," he exclaimed.

"… Let me get this straight," I said, standing up and crossing my arms. Perplexity reigned supreme in the way I presented myself. "…You were saved by a colony of man-eating plants?…"

"Precisely!," he laughed. "I managed to get out of the cockpit before they started chomping on the ship. Your med freighter had already been long gone by the time I was grounded. While I was down there, I continued my search for the Sith holocron planted by Master Plevon. I was hoping to destroy it before any other holocron hunting Shadows fell for the same trap I did. As it turns out, I was lucky. It was in the wilds not far from where I crashed and I destroyed it."

"…How did you get off-world?," I asked with a sly smirk, anxious to see how his good luck got him back to civilization.

"A smuggler ship," he replied, quite simply.

I suddenly found myself bursting into laughter. "A smuggler ship!," I yelled before laughing some more. "You've got to be kidding!"

"Smuggler by the name of Sheree Khorad working for the Hutts. Apparently, she was hired to smuggle one of the other plant species for the Hutts to use as a weapon of some sort: the Feeder plant. Nasty things. Lucky for me, she was a fan of the Jedi. She promised to drop me off on Hutta if I helped her gather some Feeders, so I did. And, well… here we are."

I shot Dagmoro a look from the corner of my eyes. He chuckled, but managed to keep it mostly to himself. I, on the other hand, let loose one more fit of laughter before placing my hands on my hips.

"…Saved by plants and rescued by smugglers. That's the kind of story people make legends out of," I said sarcastically. Ium only shrugged his shoulders and spanned his arms as if presenting himself. I embraced him in another hug. "…But I really am glad that you made it. This changes everything…"

When I thought I lost him… I went to Langoria. Everything just started to become too much of a hassle, and his being shot down was the cherry on top. Unlikely story or not, it happened. And he was alive; the first thing I'd been thankful for in a long time.

"…I missed you, Mel," he whispered into my ear. He had gone from loud and excited to surreally sentimental… and it only made me hug him tighter.

"…I missed you, Ium…," I said. It felt nice to just lean into him and firmly hold him. I'd gotten totally lost in the moment… "…And I like your goatee…"

We both cackled lightly.

SCENE FIVE

There were signs of the Council beginning to gather in the center corridor. Dagmoro, Ium, and I stood outside of the ring of seats as they were slowly filled, one by one. About half of the Council members were present and all of them were either eyeing Ium and I or whispering something about us.

Dagmoro leaned in toward the both of us, brushing his hand down his long white beard, perhaps in an attempt to disguise what he was telling us. "As you might suspect, Shadows like the two of you have been considered a dead sect in the order for the better part of the decade. Since the JedI Civil War, your numbers have been on the decline. You've become shades of a violent past that they want to put behind them. The Council members that decided to speak with you have been frowned upon by the others. But, deep down, they do realize that you are the best option."

I nodded in acknowledgement, but my focus was elsewhere. I had been surveying the Council members, many of which were new since the last time I'd seen them on Coruscant. Many, I figured, had died in the sacking or went missing in action. There were some familiars, though. One, specifically, that I knew prior to my exile: Satele Shan. Dagmoro must have seen me looking at her, because he began speaking of her.

"You know Satele Shan," he said. "It was she who rediscovered Tython and insisted that the JedI move their base of operations here while the Republic tended to its wounds. She has grown much since you knew her. She is a member of the High Council, now."

"I take it her involvement with the Sith resurgence didn't end at moving the JedI to Tython," I said. It was obvious that more than JedI looked to Shan for guidance nowadays.

"I felt the same when I got here," said Ium from over my shoulder. "She has Republic troopers guarding the temple. My guess is she's not only a Council member but a General, to boot."

I snickered at the thought. "… Meaning she's moving the pieces behind the scenes… and you and I, Ium: We're the pieces. A rebel leader looking to sabotage the Sith Empire. Sounds like the makings of a resistance."

"A resistance that is not to be on record," interrupted Dagmoro. "We must put up a front for the Empire. As of now, they believe that only militia are capable of taking up arms against them, and they aren't afraid of militia. A few civilian riots are to be expected. The galaxy will see its share of them. But they wouldn't expect us to risk doing the same. We are JedI, remember? Keepers of the peace. Not revolutionaries. …Or so they believe."

"…There is no emotion, there is peace…," I muttered. Dagmoro managed to nod before I heard my name being called from the circle.

"Mel'Anctha Omorose," said Master Satele from her seat. "Ium Somn. Master Atrius. Front and center, if you please. This meeting is officially underway."

It was remarkable to me that Satele was a High Council member. Last I'd known her, she was a Knight that was constantly hailed for her prowess in the teachings of the Force and for her legendary bloodline: she was the descendant of Bastila Shan, a JedI Knight who fought with the redeemed JedI, Revan. The two ended the JedI Civil War and were proclaimed saviors of the known galaxy. It certainly seemed that she was able to live up to her family name.

The three of us entered the circle of seats which had been filled when I wasn't looking. Satele sat before us with a warm smile on her face as she presented Ium and I with an extending of her right hand in our direction.

"Fellow Councilors, I give you two JedI Shadows," she said. The Council grew silent almost instantly. It seemed Dagmoro was right about the reaction of the other members. Satele, however, was not thwarted in the least. "Nearly ten years ago, the Shadows had dwindled down to a handful of special operatives that rarely answered to us or any other authority. Even when the Order declared that they no longer existed, several remained true to their creed and continued to fight for us, unseen. These two, are the best of the last. And the only ones that have not died or lost their minds."

The only two? Had all Shadows, besides us, ceased to operate? Could a sect that once had been thousands strong, truly be dropped off to a pair in a few centuries? Even before I exiled myself on Langoria, there were dozens of us, maybe hundreds…

"Can they be trusted?," asked a male Zabrak from just behind us. "More Shadows have been corrupted by the Dark Side than have died of natural causes or in battle. This Mel'Anctha supposedly exiled herself; even she knew the threat she posed to the Republic and the Order. The boy lived on Hutta after he cheated death in the Outer Rim… a haven for criminals and gangsters. You do not simply walk away from such circumstances without scars."

"You want to speak of scars?," replied Satele. "I have seen more than my fair share of the Dark Side. I know how potentially trying their profession can be. I have enough scars to last the lot of us the rest of our lives. Look at them: whatever scars these two possess, have not consumed them. They still have their hearts, their minds, and their virtues… as do we. They would not have come, otherwise."

Little did she know that the reason I initially came was to see Ium. But still, to hear what she really thought of us was not what I expected at all. Very few accepted Shadows, as was evident.

"Perhaps we should inform them of what they've been missing. They have both managed to avoid the latest catastrophes by being out of Republic space for the past decade. It's doubtful they know what has happened," said a green Twi'lek female seated to the left of Satele.

"I know what happened," I said. My voice rang through the corridor. Either I spoke louder than I thought, or it had simply gotten that quiet as soon as I opened my mouth. "…I felt it." All eyes fell on me. Even Ium's and Dagmoro's.

"What did you feel?," asked Satele with a curious curvature at the corner of her lips.

"… The Sith reemergence from darkspace," I replied. "I felt their attacks on the Republic… mostly the one on Coruscant."

"And you did nothing?," boomed the voice of the Zabrak from behind me. I looked over my shoulder at him, shooting him a defensive glare that made him uneasy in his seat.

"…Neither did you. And you were here," I said coldly.

"She's right," said the Twi'lek. "There's nothing she could have done. JedI or not, she was exiled out of the Republic's reach and thus not a citizen. Even we cannot be held accountable for the loss of Coruscant. No one can."

"Then you, to some extent, know why we have called on you?," asked Satele.

"… You want a resistance," I replied.

"We do. But not the type that one has in mind when they say the word. War is changing, Mel'Anctha. And we do not have the luxury of taking the Sith Empire head on. That would mean countless Republic deaths. You are masters of being unseen. Professional spies, assassins… ghosts. That's what we need. And that's why you're here."

"There's only two of us, Satele. Surely you don't believe that we can take down an Empire."

"Take it down? Hardly. But softening it up is a different story."

I couldn't believe I was going to ask this, but, "…How? What did you have in mind?"


End file.
